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The Western Atlantic’s
Other Names.
A gentleman was talking to us a
few days ago in reference to the above
subject, and brought to our attention
the fact that the name “W. & A.” had,
with business people, several synonyms.
For instance, we may say that the
civilized world by this time knows
that it is called “The Great Kennesaw
Route,” and its manner of doing busi
ness has made this title so popular
that its chief competitor has endeav
ored to cabbage it, and to persuade
the public that it is “The Great Ken.
nesaw Route;” but like all other en
deavors against the W. & A. it has re
coiled with redoubled force against the
line attempting the theft.
The watermelon and orange ship
pers and the fruit dealers generally in
the south and in the north and west
know it as “The Great Fruit Route,”
and when we take into consideration
the fact that it transports hundreds of
carloads of oranges, and between one
and two thousand carloads of water
melons, yearly, not to mention other
kinds of fruits, it will be recognized
that the title is well applied.
Then it has been termed “The Hun
ters’ Line,” by reason of the fact that
the favorite hunting grounds for At
lanta sportsmen are along its line, and
its liberality to the hunters is a matter
of general appreciation.
Also, it has lately been termed,
“The Elephant Line,” by reason of
the fact that whenever a circus comes
down to Atlanta, its managers send
their elephants over the Western &
Atlantic, as they are unwilling to risk
them on a competing line.
It is often termed “The Old Relia
ble;” and this name sticks to it so
tightly that it seems a part of the road
itself.
For many years past it has been
known all over Georgia as “The State
Road.” Os course, this title is emi
nently proper, as it was built by the
State and is the property of the State,
and, furthermore, is justly the pride of
the citizens of Georgia.
To those who are martially inclined
the title, “The Historic Battle-fields
Route of America,” will have particu
lar force, when it is taken into consid
eration that there were over 80 battles
or minor conflicts of the great Civil
War immediately on or very near its
line.
It is known among shippers general
ly as “The Fast Freight Line,” and
the fact that it has four freight schedules
per day from Chattanooga to Atlanta,
besides its local freight schedules,
proves that it is fairly entitled to this
cognomen which so many other roads
endeavor to appropriate as applying to
themselves.
But the boys within the past year
have begun to know it by another ti
tle, which was first given it in deris
ion; but which it immediately adopted
aud has used with wonderful effect,
viz : “The Sidetrack,” or as they some
times add, “The biggest thing for its
size in Ameriky.”
This latter qualifying clause is cer
tainly very true. We don’t know of
anything which has made its influence
felt so widely throughout America as
this so called “Sidetrack.” Its com
p°titors have found that whenever
anything is to be done in the railroad
world, or whenever any special reputa
tion is to be achieved by any one par
ticular line down in this country, the
“Sidetrack” is always on hand, aud al
ways walks off with the bouquet when
the play is over and the audience has
thrown upon the stage the evidence of
its appreciation for the one deemed
most properly entitled to it.
Hurrah for the “Sidetrack!”
“Sidetrack” is the liveliest
Game little thing;
But you think when you’re with it
’Tis pluck’s nation’s king.
“Sidetrack” has a rooster
No bigger’n a bantam ;
But the fear that he’ll fight ’em
Daily, nightly doth haunt ’em.
They thought they could whip it:
But, ah! when they tried,
They got so “ all knocked out,”
They sat down and cried.
Hurrah for our jewel!
For it praise knows no lack ;
Our sweet little, dear little
Jolly “Sidetrack.”
Merchants and other parties in South
Carolina aud North Carolina would do
well to bear in mind that the Western
& Atlantic and its connections are what
may be properly termed the “Fast
Freight Line,” from New Orleans to
Atlanta.
The highest evidence of the truth of
this statement is shown in the fact that
a majority of the fruit business from
New Orleans reaches Atlanta via the
Western & Atlantic Railroad.
Order Your Goods From New
Orleans via The Western & At
lantic Railroad.
The magnificent palace buffet sleep
ing cars which pass over the Western
& Atlantic Railroad are the only ones
which reach Thomasville in the day-time.
THE KENNESAW GAZETTE.
SUMMER and WINTER
In Georgia,
By H. T. GATCHELL, M. D.,
Atlanta, Ga.
[ Copyrighted, 1886. ]
Atlanta has been written of, in a
general way, as a health resort for dwel
lers in the low lands of the South.
It is the intention of the writer to
present some data to show that it is
among the best of the low altitude re
sorts for invalids from both north and
south of it.
The city is built on the Chattahoo
chee ridge, at an elevation of 1,085
feet above sea-level. The ridge runs
from the Blue Ridge Mountains, in
the northeastern county of the State
of Georgia, with an extreme elevation
of 1,610 feet, and an average width of
fifteen miles, to a point twenty-five
miles southwest of Atlanta, where it
dips into the general level of the coun
try at an elevation of 500 feet.
Northwest of the city the country
descends to the Chattahoochee river,
six miles distant, where it rises again,
until 20 miles up the Western &Atlantic
Railroad, near Kennesaw Mountain,
at Marietta, it is at an elevation of over
1,100 feet.
The country in and about Atlanta
is seamed and scarred by the erosive
forces of nature, leaving the Chatta
hoochee ridge to mark the former
southern limit of the Blue Ridge Moun
tains in Georgia.
The geological formation is arch
jean, or mother rocks disintegrated to
form a soil not at all detrimental to
health, and responding to fertilizers as
quickly as any other soil in the South,
and when properly tilled, rewarding
the husbandman liberally.
Atlanta is a city of progressive ideas;
a city of money, brains and culture ; a
city of energy, liberality and thrift.
It has been built since 1865, from
blackened walls and lone standing
chimneys, with many a Rachel mourn
ing tor her children, and many a man
with all of his capital in his head and
hands; it has grown to be a thriving
place of nearly 60,000 inhabitants, with
costly public and private buildings of
modern architectural design. Its streets
are well lighted with gas and electric
ity ; the principal ones are paved with
granite blocks, the sewerage system is
good, as the mortality report will show,
and being constantly bettered. The
water supply is adequate and being
increased by the boring of artesian
wells, one of which now yields 200,000
gallons a day.
Atlanta is supplied with all of the
public buildings usually found in a
city of its size. The Kimball House
stands at the front of Southern hotels
and the peer of those anywhere. The
building and furnishings cost over
$700,000. The Markham House stands
near it as a popular first-class hotel.
Among others of less prominence is
the home-like National Hotel, which
has a patronage among the solid men
of the country. There are others of
lesser proportions, of eminent respect
ability. Among them may be men
tioned the Metropolitan, Grant House,
Hotel Weinmeister, Adams. Arling
ton, Talmage and others. Through
out the city are many comfortable fam
ily boarding houses. Among the best
known are the Leyden, on Pea ihtree
street, Mrs. C. D. Smith, on Houston
street, and Mrs. C. C. Morralls, at No.
89 E. Mitchell street, facing the new
Georgia Stote capitol.
DeGive’s Opera House is frequently
used by gatherings of representative
bodies from all sections of the country,
the ample hotel acccommodations mak
ing Atlanta a favorite place for such.
Right here may be mentioned a rea
son for those seeking to escape the rig
orsof a northern winter, or the extreme
heat of a lower latitude, visiting a
city or its suburbs, all other things be
ing equal, instead of a crowded and
fashionable health resort of small pop
ulation, e. g. one can always suit his
accommodations to his purse.
The millionaire may have rooms en
suite, the person of limited means can
procure good substantial board at from
$5 to $lO per week. In the .city, one
may isolate himself from persons who
are diseased, the association with whom
is depressing, and, if the theory of the
contagiousness of consumption is well
founded, he would not be so likely to
have a ground already sown with the
seeds of disease from being still further
inoculated as he would at a crowded
health resort.
Among the numerous suburban re
sorts near Atlanta no place ranks high
er for salubrity than the pleasant
town of Marietta, twenty miles up the
Western & Atlantic R. R. This place
is at the foot of Kennesaw Mountain,
where Sherman and Johnston brought
their hosts together in a series of the
most sanguinary battles of the age.
Time has not effaced the marks of those
dark days; it has only softened them.
Marietta is at an elevation of over
1,100 feet above tide-water. Its sum
mers are pleasant aud its winters in
vigorating —yet, still warm enough for
out-door sports, recreation and exer
cise.
The town is amply supplied with
pleasant hotels and boarding houses.
The Whitlock House, owned and
conducted by Mr. M. G. Whitlock,
is one of the best family hotels in the
South. The Kennesaw House, Glen
burnie, Oakland Hall, L. S. Cox’s
boarding house and Mrs. J. H. El
liott’s are all highly commended.
One of the attractions, is a run up
the Marietta & North Georgia R. R.,
to the North Carolina line, through a
country picturesque enough for the
painter or poet, romantic enough for
the school-girl, full of delightful sur
prises to the tourist, with fish and game
for the sportsman and health for the
invalid. Such a wilderness of water
falls, cascades, mountains, valleys,
cliffs, glens and tablelands, is seldom
found.
There are six passenger trains, each
way, on which the sojourner in Mari
etta may visit Atlanta.
. From records of the United States
signal service observers, the writer has
gathered data relating to the climate
of the region about Atlanta. In ev
ery instance, unless otherwise stated,
the observations have extended over a
period of not less than five consecutive
years.
temperature.
Atlanta has a low average of high
temperature ; a medium average of low
temperature, and a small range, or dif
ference, between high and low temper
atures. It has not an equable climate
in the sense that the Pacific, lower At
lantic and Gulf coasts have. On the
other hand, it has no extremes of tem
perature either way. A person visit
ing Atlanta in the summer need not
expect a temperature of over 97.5° F.,
which has only been reached once in
seven years observation. If in the
winter, he would not be likely to ex
perience a lower temperature than one
and one-half degrees below zero, which
was the lowest recorded during the
winter of 1885-6 —the coldest since
1835. The extreme highest tempera-
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